Anton Källberg had a 2–1 lead in the second round of the tournament in Singapore – one of four grand smash tournaments on the world tour – against Maharu Yoshimura, Japan.
Then the Japanese player woke up and took the match to a deciding set.
He's a spectacular player with a special style, said Källberg about Yoshimura after his win in the first round.
Meets the World Number One
In the fifth and decisive set, Källberg however took a strong grip immediately. After a timeout at 5–4, the Swede won five straight points and could secure the win on the second match point with 8–11, 11–5, 11–6, 9–11, 11–5.
Now, a tough opponent awaits in the form of the Chinese world number one Wang Chuqin in the quarterfinals. Wang defeated the home player Koen Pang, who received a wildcard to the tournament, with 3–0 in sets in the second round.
Källberg can ask his teammate Truls Möregårdh for tips. Both were part of the team that took OS silver last summer, but in the singles tournament, Möregårdh knocked out Wang on his way to silver in Paris.
Advances in Mixed Doubles
For Linda Bergström and Stina Källberg, it ended directly in the women's doubles. It was a tough loss with 2–3 in sets (11–13, 11–9, 11–7, 6–11, 8–11) against Yashaswini Ghorpade, India and Jee Minhyung, Australia.
It went better for Källberg in mixed doubles with Kristian Karlsson. The Swedish pair is third-seeded and entered the tournament in the quarterfinals. There, they won a thrilling five-setter against Ovidiu Ionescu, Romania and Barbora Balazova, Slovakia. The Swedes saved several match points in the fourth set and could win the deciding set with 11–7 for advancement to the quarterfinals.
Women's Singles, Second Round: Linda Bergström–Qian Tianyi, China (at 06.10).
Men's Singles, Second Round: Truls Möregårdh–Kanak Jha, USA (at 12.10).
Mixed Doubles, Quarterfinals: Kristian Karlsson/Stina Källberg–Sora Matsushima/Miwa Harimoto, Japan (at 07.55).
